News

News by State

Thousands of cholera cases reported in South Sudan

Doctors Without Borders announced on Wednesday that it treated 904 patients in South Sudan for cholera since July.

Teams have set up two cholera treatment centers to service patients from affected areas, according to a Doctors Without Borders press release.

"Cholera is a treatable disease that can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated promptly," Llanos Ortiz, the Doctors Without Borders emergency manager for South Sudan, said. "It causes severe dehydration that can lead to death in a matter of hours."

Doctors Without Borders said that the vulnerability of the population in South Sudan was exacerbated by the conflict there that began in December of last year. Food insecurity and the resultant nutrition in the Upper Nile state also contributed to the spread of infectious diseases, and lack of clean and safe drinking water is a common problem.

Doctors Without Borders teams have admitted more than 3,000 children into therapeutic feeding programs in Malakal, Wau Shilluk, Kodok and Lul.

Since the organization began treatment operations in South Sudan at the start of July, 19 people died from cholera.

More than 4,500 cases of cholera have been reported in South Sudan since April of this year, with more than 100 deaths.